The Spy Flyers/plot
Chapter 1: The Dog-fight Captain Rex Lovell and his observer Tony Fraser are out on patrol in their Bristol Fighter. After a furious dogfight with several German aircraft, they capture a Hanoverana and force it to land at their home airfield Maranique. Major Trevor, the wing intelligence officer is impressed by their flying and by the fact that both Lovell and Fraser speak fluent German, having been educated at Heidleburg. He asks if they are willing to handle "secret missions". Rex and Tony agree and are assigned the mission of blowing up an important tunnel on the Lille-La Cateau railway. Chapter 2: The Tunnel Rex and Tony take off from Major Tervor's HQ at Neuville and land by night near the tunnel and succeed in planting the charges and blowing up the tunnel despite the fact that German sentries appear to be alert and expecting trouble. Chapter 3: The Major's Proposition Major Trevor has another assignment for them. Intelligence believes German agents must flying their information across by aircraft. He gives them a roving commission as "flying detectives" to look for aircraft behaving in a suspicious manner. Major Trevor also proposes to involve them in even more hazardous missions. They speak fluent German and with German uniforms, and flying the Hanoverana they captured, they might be useful for various clandestine missions behind the lines. Rex and Tony are reluctant to fly under false colours but they know where their duty lies. Chapter 4: The Mysterious S.E.5 Out on patrol, Rex and Tony spot an S.E.5 on its own deep behind German lines. They note that it belongs to 91 Squadron at Tourville. There, the equipment officer tells them the S.E.5 they saw, serial F-1743, had "failed to return" after a mission a month ago. The next day they spot the S.E.5 again and shadow it until it lands at the German airfield at Varne. Rex flies to Neuville and asks Major Trevor for the two suits of German uniforms. They also carry false papers identifying them as German flyers. Rex is Adolf Wistmann and Tony is Ernst Koepler. Rex intends to take off in the Hanoverana and land at Varne. Chapter 5: Under the Double Eagle On the way to Varne, they are intercepted by a Sopwith Camel. Rex evades desperately but the Camel presses the attack. Nor can Tony bring himself to shoot back. Fortunately, a Fokker Triplane piloted by Von Ketner intervenes, allowing Rex to escape. They land at Varne and Rex orders the plane to be repaired. Meanwhile, Hauptmann von Henkel hosts them to drinks in mess. There's another officer there. Rex thinks he sees an R.F.C. uniform under his flying it. Back at Maranique, Rex and Tony follow the rest of their squadron to the 219 Squadron guest night. There they are introduced to one Captain Fairfax. He's the pilot they saw at Varnes! Rex discreetly tells Major Trevor about this but Trevor laughs it off. Fairfax has a highly distinguished war record. He cannot possibly be a traitor. Chapter 6: A New Proposition Trevor has a new assignment. He needs Rex and Tony to land behind German lines and deliver a package to an address in Lille, and come back with the reply. It's a dangerous assignment, landing fields could be trapped, and they could be shot if caught. Nevertheless Rex and Tony volunteer. A shadow seems to pass across the window as Trevor is giving instructions. Coming out of the room, Rex and Tony meet Captain Fairfax. Had he been eavesdropping? Chapter 7: Lille Rex and Tony fly to their rendezvous in Lille. They meet the agent at the address given, exchange passwords and hand him the message. They wait for the agent to prepare the reply. Rex glances out of the window into the street. He thinks he sees the face of Captain Fairfax! With him are German soldiers forming a cordon around the house. Fortunately the agent has a wardrobe full of German uniforms. Rex and Tony change into them and then using a ledge on an upper floor, edge their way into the neighbouring house, which is a bar. They get in and join the customers there. They pretend to be drunk and start a bar fight which leads them to be arrested by two military policeman who bring them through the cordon. Once clear, they knock their captors out and run to their aircraft. But now they are grounded by fog. Rex decides to hazard a blind take off and fly above the fog on a compass course back to British lines. They report to Trevor but don't mention Fairfax. After all it was only a brief glance and they have no proof. Chapter 8: On the Trail Rex is convinced that Varne is the centre of enemy spy operations and so he and Tony fly there in the Hannoverana again. On arrival, Rex creates a punctured tyre and while that is being repaired, they socialise in the mess and then stroll around the airfield. Only one hangar at the end is closed so they walk there. Peeping in, they see a D.H.4 and Bristol Fighter! They see a S.E.5 with Fairfax land. It is pulled into the hangar and they see Fairfax handling what looks like maps or plans. These must be stolen British secret papers! Rex and Tony sneak into the hangar, hold up Fairfax and then make off, seize the plans and make off in the Hannoverana. Back at Neuville, they report to Major Trevor. To their surprise, Captain Fairfax is there, relaxed, and also waiting with papers for Trevor to sign! Fairfax completes his business and then says he is leaving for HQ. Outside, Rex sees the S.E.5 taking off. He runs to check the flying coat he left in his plane. He had left the papers he took from Fairfax in the pocket. Now they are gone! Is Fairfax in the S.E.5? Rex calls HQ and the person answering confirms that Fairfax is there. Chapter 9: Adventure by Night Rex convince Trevor to implement a plan where all British aircraft would be painted with a black stripe. Rex and Tony decide they must go back to Varne to complete their investigation. They can't land they anymore since Fairfax must have denounced them so they land the Hannoverana in a field nearby and then proceed to Varne. Looking into the end hangar they are surprised to find British machines with black stripes! Rex encounters Fairfax again but Tony knocks him out before he can raise the alarm. They head back to their aircraft and find von Henkel waiting for them! They had heard about a German plane force landing near Varne and had come to check. But he's friendly and waves them off. Rex and Tony fly back to Maranique. They haven't done badly but are very puzzled by what's been happening: why has Fairfax not denounced them? Chapter 13: The Raid They get to Falconfeld but are caught in the middle of a night raid by British bombers. The S.E.5 is destroyed. Rex and Tony are separated from Fairfax. They head for the wood, believing Fairfax would use that as a rendezvous. As dawn breaks, a Bristol Fighter lands in the field near the wood. Not Fairfax but von Henkel! He has been looking for them and raises his pistol to shoot them. A shot rings out but it's von Henkel who collapses. Fairfax! He tells them he had stolen a Fokker D.VII from Falconfeld during the raid and go back to base to fetch a Bristol Fighter which he had landed nearby. Von Henkel had been too engrossed to see him creeping behind him. The three of them fly back to Maranique in the two Bristols and then report to Headquarters. They inform a general about Trevor's treachery then head back to base to some rest. Category:Plot summaries